Colour features: Specialty finishes for your paintwork

Painting your home has gone beyond just colour, with most major paint brands offering a range of stylish finishes in addition to their standard ranges. You can opt for a single look or be really creative and combine different finishes to highlight features in your home for a bright contemporary look. If you aren’t aware of distinctive specialty finishes, read on.

Paint finishes: Expanding options

Once upon a time, people had a choice of either flat, satin or gloss when it came to paint and they would choose a finish according to the amount of wear and tear their painted surfaces would be exposed to. Improvements in paint technology have not only produced tougher products but also allowed for the creation of a range of finishes for painted surfaces.

Some of these specialty finishes are:

• Brushed suede finish
• Textured rendercoat
• Fine sand texture
• Bagged render texture
• Metallic, pearlustre and copper pearl finishes

These finishes are striking and different, but why else would you choose them over standard finishes? There are several benefits to consider.

Why you might use specialty paint finishes

Some like to make a statement when painting and decorating their home and the choice of specialty paint finishes available means that anyone can create an individual look both inside and outside the home.

The metallic and pearlustre finishes are a great choice for feature walls. They reflect the light beautifully and several looks can be achieved depending on the application method. Suede is also extremely popular. It creates the look and feel of brushed suede and is available in a wide range of pastels as well as rich deeper tones.

The textured ranges can create the look of stone or render to your external walls and the fine sand finishes can even be used for internal applications for the same effect. You can even mix and match with different finishes for a really unique look.

These finishes are easy to apply and the tools to achieve the look are readily available from paint and hardware retailers. Most of them clean up in water as well, which is greatly convenient.

If you’re looking to do something different when you decorate or redecorate, there’s really no excuse for plain walls. To freshen up your home, consider the option of using specialty finishes both inside and out – they can produce a truly stunning effect.